


Say You Need Me

by xsimkat



Series: Avenging Love Series [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, Phoebe Reynolds feels, Post-Iron Man 3, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Phoebe Reynolds, Protective Steve Rogers, Romance, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-08 02:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15233244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsimkat/pseuds/xsimkat
Summary: *** Captain America: TWS Rewrite***When we meet up with our superpower couple a year after the events of the Mandarin, they are adjusting to a few changes. Phoebe is working as a double agent for Fury within SHIELD as an operative for STRIKE, causing a strain on herself and her relationship with Steve. Meanwhile, Steve, Clint, and Natasha are still contracted with SHIELD. When Fury is shot by a masked figure from Steve's past, but not before alerting the team that SHIELD is compromised. It’s up to the Avengers to divulge into all of SHIELD’s secrets. Can Phoebe and Steve’s relationship survive, or will their secrets tip them over the edge?





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> ***Can be read as stand-alone!***  
> All you need to know is Phoebe Reynolds is an enhance SHIELD agent who gains molecular abilities from the super soldier serum given to her at 18. She meets and falls in love with Steve Rogers. They've been together since the events of my universe's version of the Avengers in the book, "Avenging Love: Assemble".  
> ~~This book is inspired by the song "Can I" by Tedy~~

 “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”  
-Jean Racine

***

**_Steve_ **

Steve was awake before his alarm went off. Three hours of sleep to him was enough for him. He got out of bed feeling refreshed, recharged, and happy. Though some of that wasn’t just the sleep. The girl sleeping on the other side of the bed had something to do with his newfound optimism on the 21st century.

It wasn’t just her beauty that drew him in like most people believe or read in the newspapers. Phoebe had a warmth to her that Steve was able to pick up on even in a coma. Her voice grounded him on the days when being trapped in his own mind toyed with his psyche to the point he considered giving up completely. And when she could communicate with his feelings and feel them for herself, he made sure she knew just how grateful he was that she was here. It was hard at first, conveying his emotions, but eventually he found a way to perfect it. He imagined what she looked like and used that a conduit to the outside world. She nothing like he imagined. She was so much more. It was when their eyes met for the first time that Steve realized he was in love with her before he even met her.

Steve was careful not to disturb Phoebe’s sleep as he tugged the creaky dresser drawers open and grabbed a pair of jogging pants and a shirt. It was the second week of April. The highs were in the mid-40-s this morning. They have had a very cold April so far. That didn’t stop Steve from staying in shape. He actually preferred the cold temperature compared to the heat of summer. Phoebe was a little more hesitant about running in the cold, but he could usually convince her to go with his… charms.

A warm pot of coffee to start the day, Steve watched as sunrise faintly glistened over the horizon. He sipped the liquid gingerly, letting it settle into his bones and loosen his muscles. It was during these early mornings that Steve would look back on how he got to the year 2014. Lately, he’s been making lists. Lists of modern things he wants to do with Phoebe, such as laser tag and paintball and a list of movies the Avengers make their obscene references from all the time.

The scent of strawberries caught his attention and he turned to see Phoebe, wearing an oversized shirt with his shield on it, stumbling into their living room rubbing her eyes. Steve chuckled, remembering when Tony gave her that shirt from the most recent comic book convention. Phoebe took the joke like a champ and wore it with pride, saying that wherever she goes now Steve would be there.

Even if she wanted to kick him in the groin right now, which she did. Still.

“Good morning, doll,” Steve hummed, looking at her with soft, warm eyes.

“Morning,” Phoebe replied before walking into the kitchen.

Steve frowned. Something was off, but he couldn’t place what it was. Usually, there were good morning kisses, or – if he was lucky – a quickie. But lately, it was like he was talking to an automaton. It worried him. “How did you sleep?” he asked, following her.

Phoebe poured herself a glass of apple juice. “Pretty good despite having to share a bed with a boyfriend who betrayed me behind my back.”

Steve winced at that. She had a right to be angry with him. After their mission last week, Steve went to Fury and expressed his… concerns… with Phoebe’s new position with STRIKE, SHIELD’s new counter-terrorist group. Since becoming a double agent for Fury, Phoebe’s been distant and reserved, nothing like her usual self. It was beginning to worry him.

Steve sighed. “I wasn’t trying to go behind your back-”

Phoebe slammed her hand on the counter, knocking over the apple juice. Steve eyed the purple energy swirling through her fingers briefly. “You bit Fury’s head off and he suspended you for a week! That doesn’t give you a little insight in just how important my job is?”

Steve grabbed a towel and wiped the counter. “When’s the last time you got a decent night’s sleep? Or had something other than Pop Tarts and coffee?” Phoebe was silent. “I get your job is important, babe, I do. But you have a commitment to yourself, too,” Steve said. He wasn’t trying to start a fight because fighting with Phoebe was like putting a spear through his heart. He just couldn’t bear it.

“I have a commitment to my job, Steve. You of all people should understand that obligation.”

Steve did understand. That was the problem. He knew all too well what it was like to put your job above all else. It would tear you apart if you let it, and Steve refused to let Fury’s secret agenda harm Phoebe in any way.

“I just want you to be safe,” Steve said after a moment, his voice soft and wavering.

Phoebe sighed. Her eyes softened, and Steve felt the tension surrounding them release into the air. “I know,” she said, and her hand clasped in his.

“And I don’t like secrets,” Steve added, referring to Fury. “Secrets get people killed. I don’t want you killed.”

Phoebe looked at him. “I won’t.”

There was an urge to hold Phoebe close and never let go, but Steve suppressed it and settled for holding her hand instead. Phoebe squeezed their intertwined fingers gently and smiled. He felt a warmth encase his mind and he looked into Phoebe’s eyes. They were purple and bright, flickering like gentle waves along the shore, slow and steady. She was reading him, sensing his aura. Any worry flooding through his mind was instantly put at ease. He blinked, and she pulled away.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Steve told her. He expressed to her when they first moved in that he would only let her alter his emotions with his permission. “The worry is still there-”

“-but it’s more of a background noise than center stage,” Phoebe finished. “It’s my not so subtle way of telling you not to worry so much. I wouldn’t have accepted the assignment if I couldn’t handle it. Something has Fury on edge. Maybe there is a dirty SHIELD agent, I don’t know. But I do know that he cares about me. I’ve felt it. He wouldn’t put directly in harm’s way unless he has a good reason to.”

Steve let out a heavy sigh and looked out into the city through their small balcony window. All of this was true but putting Phoebe in harm’s way just didn’t sit right with him; it never will.

***

It was still early in the morning when Steve started his run around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. There were some tourists braving the cold April air by the Washington Monument. But mostly, the area was quiet. Steve liked to get his runs in before the mall opened. It’s not that he minded being seen by the public. People in D.C. were very nice and respectful about his and Phoebe’s personal space. Steve understood he was important to a lot of people. He was someone’s hero, someone’s believer when all hope was lost in their lives. He felt good knowing that he was someone’s hero, aside from Phoebe, of course. And if the public gawking didn’t prove that his popularity since had grown, his office at Avenger’s Tower where his fan mail was currently stocked to the brim certainly did.

Steve noticed a man jogging close by. Knowing it was polite to let someone know you were passing them, he said, “On your left,” and kept running. The man did a double take before returning his own pace. Steve, however, he was blazing through the rectangular track. He stopped counting how many laps he ran. No sooner did the man complete his lap, Steve was about to pass that same man. “On your left,” he said again.

This time, the man spoke. “On your left. Got it, man.”

Steve grinned and ran faster, eager to finish his lap. It was obvious the man had caught on to who Steve was. He always liked to interact with people, even if it was something as silly as racing each other at 6:30 in the morning. A few minutes later, Steve was ready to pass him again. His footsteps triggered the man to glance behind him.

The man waved at him. “Don’t say it. Don’t you say it.”

“On your left.”

“Come on!”

Steve smiled to himself. He noticed the man laying up against a tree after he took his final lap and decided to properly introduce himself. “Need a medic?” he asked jokingly.

“Nah, man, just a new set of lungs,” the man replied with a small grin. “You realize you ran like 13 miles in 30 minutes?”

“I guess I got a late start.”

The man shook his head and pointed to the track. “You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap.” The man paused, then looked at Steve. “Did you just take it? I assumed you just took it.”

Steve smirked, noticing the emblem on the man’s sweatshirt. “What unit you with?”

“58th Pararescue. But now I’m working down at the VA. Sam Wilson,” Sam said, and he extended a hand to Steve.

“Steve Rogers,” Steve greeted him, taking his hand and helping him to stand.

“I kind of put that together,” Sam chuckled. “Musta freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing.”

“It takes some getting used to,” Steve admitted. “It’s good to meet you, Sam.”

“It’s your bed, right?”

Steve turned. “What’s that?”

“Your bed. It’s too soft. When I was over there, I slept on the ground, used rocks for pillows like a caveman. Now I’m home, lying in my bed, and it’s like-”

“Like lying on a marshmallow. Feels like I’m gonna sink right to the floor.”

“Exactly,” Sam said.

“Some nights I don’t sleep at all,” Steve said as he recalled the sleepless nights before Phoebe decided to buy them a new mattress. “My girlfriend bought us a sleep number bed, but I still can’t get comfortable.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. You and Phoebe are a thing.”

“Coming up on two years,” Steve said, grinning wide. He could gush about Phoebe for hours with a perfect stranger. Even during a rough patch, which they were in the middle of right now, Steve was still so proud to be with her.

“That’s nice, you finding someone despite everything,” Sam said.

Steve felt his cheeks flush. “She found me, technically, but yeah… she helps a lot.”

Sam crossed his arms. “You must miss the good ol’ days sometimes though, right?”

Steve nodded. “Sometimes. But things aren’t so bad. There’s better food – we used to boil everything, no polio is good, and the Internet? So helpful. I’ve been reading that a lot trying to catch up.”

Sam’s eyes lit up a second later. “Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything you need to know jammed into one album.”

That was nice of him. “I’ll put it on the list,” Steve said. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a mini notebook where he kept his lists. He bypassed Phoebe and the Avenger’s lists and went to his personal list of things people have recommended to him, like I Love Lucy, Star Wars, the Rocky movies, and now Trouble Man.

Steve’s other pocket buzzed then, and he stuffed the notebook into his pocket as he pulled out his SHIELD phone.

_Incoming Text from: Pheebs  
Mission time, babe. Routine extraction – shouldn’t be too bad. Meet you at the curb. <3_

“Do you know what a less than sign and a 3 next to it means?” Steve asked.

Sam laughed. “It’s supposed to be a heart, but now you can send emojis with funny faces.”

“I just started texting,” Steve admitted sheepishly.

Natasha’s car came to a stop by the curb. Phoebe stepped out of the passenger seat, dressed in black leather pants and a maroon leather jacket. She walked up to Steve and planted a hard kiss to his lips, then pulled away and motioned him to come to the car.

That was unexpected. This morning she barely said two words to him and now she was making out with him. Steve turned to Sam, who looked just as gob-smacked as Steve. “Well, duty calls. Thanks for the run, if that’s what you wanna call runnin’,” Steve said, and he shook Sam’s hand.

Sam smirked. “Oh that’s how it is?”

Steve nodded with a playful grin on his face. “Oh, that’s how it is.” He turned to walk towards the car.

“Anytime you want to stop by the VA and make me look good for the girl at the front desk, just let me know,” Sam said, flashing a smile.

Steve smiled back. “I’ll keep it in mind.”


	2. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect Chapter 3 for a bit. I want to finish writing the story first. But for now, please enjoy Chapter 2! (:

***  
**_Phoebe_**

Phoebe would have never said yes to being Fury’s double agent if she knew it would cause this much grief between her and Steve. That was a part of her life she was hell bent to keep intact. She hadn’t been keeping track of how many arguments they’ve had in the last few months, but it had to be at least a dozen or so, some not as serious as others.  

This morning was tough on her. But it was necessary. Steve cared about Phoebe’s safety more than his own, so of course he would go to Fury after her injury in the field last week. It was only a dislocation. Nothing her enhanced healing wouldn’t fix. But the thing was… it wouldn’t have happened if she would have been allowed to use her powers, or if she wasn’t doing this assignment in the first place.

Fury made sure Phoebe knew that using her powers was not part of the deal. She was back to having to watch her back and cover her ass before it was even exposed. It didn’t feel right. She felt like part of her was being tied down inside of her, crying to be released. The only power she continued to use was her empathy. She no longer needed to touch someone to activate it, which allowed her to keep track of hew new teammates. Fury even advised against using that power, but if Phoebe forced that part of her into silence, everyone’s emotions would slowly drive her insane.

It was the best way to find out if this new team had members of Hydra roaming around. That had to be what Fury was afraid of. It was the only scenario that made sense. With Strucker’s betrayal, Fury was keeping extreme tabs on his agents. But Fury didn’t initiate STRIKE’s assembly. Alexander Pierce did. And Pierce approved of Fury’s new screening methods to weed out or potentially locate any more of Hydra. So far, Fury was coming up empty.

So was Phoebe. STRIKE has saved dozens of operations in the three months they have been active. Brock Rumlow was good people. He personally brought each team member in to STRIKE. He made sure the team was cared for, given the right gear before wheels up, kept their quinjet stocked with supplies and food, and took each moment he could to teach his team members. Hell, he taught Phoebe a new takedown move that saved her ass a few days ago.

His second in command, Jack Rollins was fishy. He was abrasive, crass, and called out someone’s mistakes at the drop of the hat without a care who was listening or who noticed. He berated his team members day in and day out, especially when Rumlow wasn’t around – luckily, it was rare that he was gone. Phoebe’s attempts to put Rollins in his place proved to be useless because he wasn’t shy about being physical with her. She couldn’t risk blowing her cover, so she forced herself to take what he gave her. It was a miracle she had enhanced healing to hide the bruises and scrapes. If Steve knew that Rollins had even gone near her body without her permission, he would be a dead man. And Phoebe needed to keep the peace for the assignment’s sake.

But if Phoebe was honest with herself, and with Fury, the team as a whole was different than teams she had been paired with before. She couldn’t put her finger on it, wouldn’t risk her assignment to delve deeper, but there was definitely something that didn’t sit right. She felt like an outsider in the group. Like the rest of the team were committed to each other and Phoebe was the new girl who just transferred despite being part of the team since day one. Rumlow was the only one who really spoke to her, and she knew it was because he found insanely attractive.

Fury had debriefed STRIKE on the mission involving the _Lemurian Star_ ’s hijacking via pirates. Phoebe turned to leave the conference room when Fury asked her to stay back so he confirmed she was medically ready for the mission. It was a coded statement, but the tone of his voice was convincing enough for Rumlow to nod before exiting the room.

“How are you feeling, Agent Reynolds?” Fury asked with an eyebrow raised. He then handed her a PDA that said, **I need you to grab the ship’s intel. Check for Hydra files.**

“I’m fine, sir. I’m ready to go,” Phoebe said confidently.

“Glad to hear it. Just watch your back out there,” Fury said, showing her the PDA again. **Don’t tell Rogers.**

Phoebe bit the inside of her cheek, remembering what Fury said as the quinjet set off towards the ship’s location. It was wrong, _so_ wrong. These secrets were slowly tugging at her conscience, pulling layer after layer until she was fully exposed and unable to move. These secrets were debilitating. And pretty soon, she was going to have to face the biggest secret of all.

Rumlow went over the details on a touchscreen display. He explained that the ship was SHIELD’s, which was why the demand was so steep.

“You know, I’m getting a little tired of being Fury’s janitor,” Steve casually tossed into the conversation. Phoebe felt his irritation and clasped their hands together. Steve met her eyes and smiled briefly, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Clint then patted his shoulder. “Relax, man. We got this.”

“Yeah, you really don’t want to start wrinkling,” Natasha added with a small grin.

Steve tossed her a look. “How many pirates?” he asked.

“There’s 25,” Rumlow said, swiping the screen until a picture of a guy popped up. “Top mercs led by Georges Batroc. He’s at the top of Interpol’s Red Notice. He’s got a rep for maximum casualties.”

“Hostages?”

“Mostly techs. One agent. Jasper Sitwell.”

Almost immediately, Phoebe’s eyes met Steve’s with a look of mutual understanding.

“What’s Sitwell doing on a launch ship?” Steve said their thought aloud.

“I thought he was with Coulson and his team,” Phoebe said.

Phoebe knew it was strange for Sitwell to be out in the field. He hid in the shadows, looming over the tech teams from the Triskelion. She made a mental note to let Fury know of that anomaly.

“Alright, I’m gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, kill the engines and wait for instructions,” Steve said. He was in full Captain America mode now, down to the way he talked and the look in his eyes. “Clint will clear the south side of the ship. Rumlow, you and your team sweep aft, find the hostages and get them to the life-pods. Let’s move.”

“STRIKE, you heard the cap,” Rumlow said, twirling a finger to assemble. “Gear up.” He looked at Phoebe then. The warm, overly kind look in his eyes stilled her movements. “You sure you’re good for this mission?” he asked, placing a gentle hand on her used-to-be injured shoulder.

“You do know who I am, don’t you?” Phoebe joked.

“I know you’re one hell of a spy,” Rumlow answered, smiling down at her. “It’s hard to believe we just met when STRIKE was formed.”

_Attraction._

Phoebe looked away quickly just as Rumlow gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. The act made her stomach turn on itself. He released his grip on her just as Steve turned and looked at them with a look on his face she couldn’t identify; it was cold and hard and sent a shiver down her spine.

“Everything good, Agent?” Steve asked, eyes narrowing between her and Rumlow like darts.

Phoebe sensed the jealousy dripping off Steve like sweat on a hot summer day. “Of course, Captain,” she replied, batting her lashes at him. Steve smirked before looking to the opened hatch. Before Phoebe could blink, he was jumping out of the quinjet without warning. A definite Captain America move.

“Was he wearing a parachute?” Rollins asked Rumlow.

Rumlow shook his head, clearly amazed by the feat. “No, no he wasn’t.”

***  


Phoebe watched her boyfriend take down the ships pirates with amazing accuracy. Without so much as a sound, either knocked the pirates unconscious or tossed them overboard. He made a 180 around the back of the boat and cleared the area for STRIKE to land. He tossed his shield at someone’s head, tossing him backward. Another pirate grabbed him from behind, but Steve flung him off with ease. He swiveled his hips and squared his shoulders in between jabs. He managed to disarm and knock out two out of the three, but the third got the drop on him and aimed a gun at his head. Steve surrendered just as Rumlow pointed his rifle and fired at the man, killing him.

“Thanks,” Steve said once Rumlow touch the ground without looking at him. The tension was palpable in the air.

Rumlow was somehow oblivious to it. “Yeah, you seemed pretty helpless without me,” he said with a grin, which faded when the Cap didn’t even turn to look at him.

Steve passed by the other STRIKE members until he reached Phoebe. “Be careful,” he said slowly, emphasizing the words. _I love you._ It was a code they created.

“You, too,” Phoebe said. _I love you, too._ Even while they disagreed, she still had to say it. Just in case.

Steve gave her a warm smile and turned to run for the galley. Phoebe’s gut twisted and contorted when she felt for the USB drive in her leather pocket. This wasn’t the way to do things. This wasn’t going to be their relationship, keeping secrets for the sake of the job. They were a team. If Fury wanted his intel, then Captain America had to know about it.

“Steve…” Phoebe looked up from the USB drive. Steve was nowhere in sight.

“You’re a spy, Phoebe. Relationships in this business are extremely hard, especially ones with co-workers,” Natasha said.

“I shouldn’t be asked to make these kinds of choices,” Phoebe said, shaking her head.

“There’s a chance you may be in the wrong business, Pheebs,” Natasha remarked with a shrug as they jogged down a set of spiral stairs to an open floor.

The faint sound of bootsteps put Phoebe’s senses on high alert. Then a hand ghosted over a trigger and-

Phoebe turned, jamming an electric taser into his neck and grabbing the gun before his hand pulled on the mechanism. Another pirate jumped from the top floor and tackled Natasha to the ground, forcing her head against a metal pipe with a hard thud. Phoebe used the end of the gun and jabbed him in the throat before kicking him hard enough to send him hurtling into a metal wall.

“Secure the engine room. I’ll grab the intel,” Phoebe said, her voice turning serious. She could sense more pirates on their way, then a comm message came through.

_"Romanoff and Reynolds missed the rendezvous point, Cap."_

A moment later, Steve’s voice sounded over the coms. " _Natasha, Phoebe, Batroc’s on the move. Circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages. Natasha… Phoebe?"_

Phoebe felt a pang of guilt seep into her skin and slowly, painfully make its way to her heart when she stuck the USB drive into the mainframe. She manually bypassed the ship’s data security protocol, clicking and tapping buttons until the files started to download. Her heart pounded against her ribcage while she watched the progress. Every percentage made her that much eager to get it done before-

Just then, Steve came charging through the door, knocking out Batroc in the process. Phoebe turned her attention back to the intel, too afraid to look Steve in the eyes. She still sensed his emotions anyway.

_Surprise. Confusion. Anger._

“What are you doing?” His voice cut through her like a knife slicing through her heart. She bit back a sigh and looked at him briefly, the anger in his eyes forcing the hitched sighed from her lips. Phoebe swallowed back the lump in her throat then turned to the data in front of her. _93%..._ “Rumlow needed your help.”

“Natasha went,” she said as if that solved her problem of going behind his back. The very thing _she_ got on him for this morning. God, she felt like such an ass right now.

“You’re saving SHIELD intel.” It wasn’t a question, but a very hard, angry statement. “Our mission was to rescue hostages.”

_Betrayal. Hurt._

Phoebe bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I was sworn to secrecy by Fury,” she admitted.

“Because Fury had you doing this, that makes everything okay,” Steve hissed sarcastically. His voice dropped an octave. “This is insane, Phoebe.”

She looked at him, her voice soft and meek. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Tell me the truth, damn it!” Steve shouted. Phoebe broke into silent tears, grateful the cloudy, night sky and dim lighting hid it well. “Stop hiding things from me. This isn’t you at all. I don’t even know who you are,” he said, and he stepped closer, revealing himself in the lighting. She wanted to jump in his arms and beg for him to forgive her, but all he did was shake his head and mumble, “I want my girlfriend back.”

 _I swear I have a reason for everything I’m doing,_ Phoebe thought to herself just as the files finished uploading. With a heavy sigh, she retracted the drive and stuffed it in a zippered pocket. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Batroc was slowly coming to. He stood holding a circular container with a red flashing light that blinded her.

She vaguely heard Steve yell, “Get down!” before she blacked out.

She came to on the quinjet with Clint holding an instant cold pack on her head. Steve was on the other side of the jet with his back turned away from her. He was talking with some of the other STRIKE members, including Nikki, the only other girl on the team. He laughed at something she said.

Phoebe clenched her jaw and turned to her side, facing Clint and Rumlow. Tears pricked her eyes and she let out a sharp sigh. Rumlow was chatting with Rollins when he caught the tiny sniffle coming from Phoebe. Their eyes met. He looked at her with all the sympathy in the world, then glanced at the Captain. And just like that, his gaze changed from warm to ice cold as he watched the way Nikki and Steve were interacting. Steve wasn’t outright flirting with her, but Nikki was clearly entertaining the thought.

“Maybe you should ask for a re-assignment,” Clint suggested quietly. “You guys did start arguing when you were assigned to STRIKE.” Clint’s eyes redirected to Rumlow, who still had his eyes homed in on Nikki.

“It’s not that simple,” Phoebe sighed, using her hands as a pillow. She hit the bump on the side of her head and yelped. She felt Steve turn on instinct but then he turned his attention back to Nikki.

“I should be more upset that you missed the rendezvous point than him,” Rumlow noted.

Phoebe sat up, taking over icepack duty herself. If only it was just the rendezvous point that Steve was upset over. Knowing he could hear what they were saying, she said, “Next time I won’t miss it. I’ll be there.”  _I'm sorry._

Because she loved him.


	3. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I caved and decided to post. I'm super sick right now, so please forgive any grammatical errors. My brain isn't firing on all cylinders at the moment. Enjoy!

***  
**_Steve_**

The moon loomed over the sky when the quinjet landed, creating a beautiful moonlight cascading over the helipad. The hatch opened and medical waited outside. Steve’s eyes immediately turned to Phoebe. Natasha helped her to stand and Clint waved her off and slid his arms under butt, scooping her up bridal style. Steve hadn’t noticed the deep gash wound on bleeding down her cheek until she was looking at him, and by then she had turned away before Steve could even ask if she was okay.

Steve sighed heavily against the elevator walls. His conversation with Fury about the _Lemurian Star_ proved unfruitful, though he half expected that. The air always thickened during their conversations. Jaws clenched, eyes narrowed, and nerves were tested. Today had been no exception. Fury was adamant that Phoebe knew what she was getting into, and she made a commitment to SHIELD a long time ago.

“And I made a commitment to her,” Steve had told him. “I respect my job here. I do. But I won’t let you turn her against herself over details that you refuse to share with the rest of us.”

Fury decided to prove to Steve that he does share with others. Or at least with him.

The elevator doors slid open and Steve stepped out onto a platform that overlooked the entire operation. Three next-generation helicarriers with turrets on the bottom of the carrier and various assortment of weapons assembled at the top.

 _Project Insight_ , the computerized voice had said in the elevator.

The room was so wide, it had its own roadway the workers used to get to each carrier. Quinjets loaded atop the carriers using lifts. The fluorescent lights shone over the helicarriers, glimmering over the turrets.

Steve looked at Fury. “Let me guess… they launched from the _Lemurian Star_?”

Fury’s lips tugged at his cheeks. “Now I know why they call you the Captain.”

Steve looked around the assembly room. These things were dangerous. And dangerous in the wrong hands? That was a catastrophe.

Fury placed a hand on Steve’s padded shoulder. “These long-range precision guns can eliminate a thousand hostiles a minute. The satellites can read a terrorist’s DNA before he steps outside his spider hole. We gonna neutralize a lot of threats before they even happen.” Fury sounded very proud of the project. There was a glee in his eyes that Steve found disturbing.

In truth, the whole operation made Steve sick to his stomach. “I thought the punishment came after the crime.”

Fury looked at him, head shaking slowly. “We can’t afford to wait that long.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“After New York, I convinced the World Security Council that we need a quantum surge on threat analysis. For once we’re way ahead of the curve.”

“By holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it protection?” Steve remarked, and the air between them fell to a brief silence. “I know Hydra is still in play. Phoebe neither confirmed nor denied it. But she didn’t tell me who or why. Don’t think she’s made it that far yet.”

Fury’s gaze fell back to the helicarriers, lips curving into a dark smile. “Smart girl,” he mused.

Steve sighed. “Look, Nick, I can’t let her risk her life over something as powerful as Hydra.”

Fury let out a dark laugh. “You and I both know that Hydra never has just one operative. They’re like a hive of bees, working together to achieve their goal. And they’ll sting whoever gets in their way.”

“And you think STRIKE has something to do with Hydra?” Steve asked. “That’s why Phoebe is with them.” Fury didn’t respond. “What about Pierce?”

“Alexander Pierce is good people. He created the team. Hand-picked Rumlow to lead it. If they are Hydra, he has no clue.”

“This,” Steve gestured to the carriers, “isn’t a good idea, Nick,” he said giving his final decision on the matter. “Keeping Phoebe with potential Hydra agents, launching a project designed to hunt down Hydra agents, their children...” Steve shook his head. “There has to be a better way.”

“We’re not the only ones who have taken matters into our own hands when Hydra is involved. You and your Commandos did that once upon a time, too, if you recall. I read those SSR files,” Fury countered grimly. “You guys did some nasty stuff.”

“We compromised. In some ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so people could be free.” Steve gestured to the helicarriers. What Fury was doing was madness. To force people to their knees until they surrendered. “This isn’t freedom, this is fear.”

“SHIELD takes the world as it is, not as we’d like it to be, and it’s getting damn near past time for you to get with the program, Cap,” Fury said, squaring his shoulders.

Steve knew that was easier said than done. And Fury had to know it, too.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Steve said.

He felt the USB drive shift in his pocket. Phoebe had been unconscious when he took it, and with her still with medical, it was up to him to give Fury the drive or not. He considered crushing it with his bare hands, leaving the pieces on his desk and telling him off. But he decided against it the moment he saw _Project Insight_. Instead, he reached into his pocket and handed it over to Fury.

“For Phoebe,” Steve said as he placed the silver drive into Fury’s hand. “So she can be safe again.”

Fury clasped the USB between his fingers, a look of shock on his face. There was a spec of worry and something else unreadable in Fury’s gaze as fumbled with the device. It gave Steve goosebumps. “You know if it’s true, we’ll have a huge problem on our hands.”

“I know,” Steve said, and he knew they would. It’d be a bloodbath, and the Avengers would be in the thick of it. “And Phoebe will be in danger. More so than she already is. If STRIKE is involved with Hydra, they either don’t know about Phoebe, or they do and they’re waiting for the right time.”

“The right time for what?” Fury questioned aloud.

Steve shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Yes, we will,” Fury said, gesturing to the USB drive. “Shall we?”

Inside his office, the lights were turned down, the locks on his door secured. A display on his wall lit up like the fourth of July when he placed the drive into the port.

“Open _Lemurian Star_ satellite launch file,” Fury commanded the computer system.

“Access denied.”

“Run decryption.”

The wheels on the display turned, each of them turning from green to red until the system said, “Decryption failed.”

“Huh,” Fury mumbled, and he eyes Steve briefly. Steve could see the tension rolling on his shoulders as he turned to face the display again. “Director override. Fury, Nicholas J.”

“Override denied. All files sealed.”

“On whose authority?” Fury snapped.

“Fury, Nicholas J.”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked. He was no tech genius, but even he knew that something wasn’t right. It made him uneasy.

“That’s a damn good question,” Fury muttered, shaking his head. Two fingers pinched his nose.

“Is it _Project Insight_?”

“I don’t know,” Fury said, slowly, hands clasped over his face in an agitated state. He sighed and looked at Steve, deadly serious. “Tell Phoebe that as of now, she’s done. I don’t want her on a single STRIKE mission until further notice.”

Finally, something they could both agree on. “Yes, sir,” Steve said, a hint of a smirk curving on his lips.

Fury didn’t say a word, and Steve wondered if that was a good thing or something entirely different.

***  


The first time he visited her, he had Phoebe with him to get him through the initial shock. He expected to see grey poking through the brown-red strands that he adored so much back then. Age lines that told the story of a long, happy life he prayed she would have. He knew there was a chance she wouldn’t remember who he was and that was okay. He just wanted to see her. But he wasn’t as prepared as he thought he was. It took almost an hour before a glimmer of light housed her baby blue eyes, and once she knew who Steve was, it was hard to keep her from overwhelming that tiny body of hers. Tears of sadness and joy spilled from his eyes that day.

Sadness filled his heart as he walked down the familiar hallway. Picture frames and kid’s drawings cluttered the walls and Steve smiled. He always got a kick out of seeing some of Phoebe’s drawings that Peggy had kept from what she was young. He prayed she was having a good day today. Not because he wanted to talk or hear her wisdom with the problems he was facing in the modern world, but because good days made her glow.

Today she looked tired. Her skin was painted with purple and yellow marks that hadn’t been there the week before. One was almost black, and Steve knew that it was fresh. She was reading a book, black glasses situated on the bridge of her nose like a librarian. From her hospital bed she glanced up, soft eyes staring at Steve.

“Look who it is,” she said, closing the book and placing it gently on her lap. “Hello, Steve.”

So today was a good day.

“Am I interrupting?” Steve asked, leaning against the archway with a quirked brow.

“You? Never,” she said. “Nicholas Sparks will be here later. Whether I will be here is another story.”

Steve frowned at that and took a seat next to her bed. It was disheartening to know that when her days were good, the bad days still haunted her. She gave him a sweet, longing smile and he blushed like a schoolboy with a crush. She looked at him the same as before he went under. As if there wasn’t 70-odd years of lost time between them. He could always count on her to make him feel like the scrawny kid before the serum. When he was just Steve Rogers… without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Peggy moved her hand over his. “What’s the matter, my darling?”

Steve sighed. There was so much. So much the matter. And not nearly enough time with her. “For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I’m not quite sure what that is anymore. I thought I could throw myself back in, follow orders and serve, but it’s just not the same.”

“Always with the dramatics,” Peggy said with a soft chuckle. “Tell me what’s really on your mind.”

A smile crossed his lips. There was nothing that Agent Carter couldn’t uncover. “I’m afraid that my past is coming back to haunt me. And I’m even more afraid that it’s going to hurt the woman I love,” Steve admitted, the conviction heavy in his voice and in his heart.

“Dwelling on the past won’t solve anything,” Peggy said, and her eyes turned more serious. “If you’re afraid of something, you must face that fear head on. You have to trust that whatever is meant to be… will… be…” A coughing fit took her over then and Steve turned to grab a glass of water.

When he turned again, his heart sank to his stomach. The light in her eyes had faded to a dull, blank stare. She was gone, lost within her own mind once more.

It was selfish for him to wish that this wasn’t happening. That Alzheimer's still had no cure 70 years later. It wasn’t his mind that was betraying him after all. “Peggy?”

She looked up at him as if it were the first time, hands trembling beneath his touch. “Steve? You’re… you’re alive.”

“Yeah, Pegs. I’m here.”

“It’s been so long. I guess whatever’s meant to be will be,” she hummed with a soft smile, a tear escaping the corner of her wrinkled eye.

“I couldn’t leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance,” Steve whispered softly.

Through hazy, cloud-filled eyes, Peggy reached to cup his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “Promise me you’ll live your life the way you should have. Fall in love, have a family. Don’t let your work become your life.”

He nodded. “I fell in love,” Steve told her. “She’s quite the dame. You may remember her. Do you remember Phoebe? Richard’s daughter?”

Peggy settled back against her pillows for a moment as she thought about the name. It took a long moment of Peggy looking at pictures of her and Phoebe sitting on the dresser, but the light flashed across her face, and a deep smile took over her features. “I had a feeling you two would meet. She’s a lovely girl.”

“You never gave up on me, did you?” Steve realized during their conversation.

A coy smile splayed across her lips, glimmering through her baby blues. “Not a bloody chance in hell. You don’t give up on the people you love.”

Steve smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “You rest now, okay? That’s an order from your Captain.”

Peggy let out a soft chuckle. Right then, she looked as young as he remembered as she placed a shaky hand to her forehead and pushed it outward. “Yes, sir, Captain Rogers.”

Steve got up to leave and stopped at the doorway. He turned to check on her one more time before he left. Exhaustion had already taken over her frail frame. Satisfied with his visit, he snuck out the front door just as the sounds of Sharon’s voice came in from the back of the house.

It was time to go home.


	4. Worth It

**_Phoebe_ **

Phoebe felt like she was running on autopilot. Her legs maneuvered their way through the kitchen, into the living area and straight into their bedroom where she collapsed on the bed, eyelids heavy and threatening to close from exhaustion. Their bedroom was messy, clothes that mostly belonged to Phoebe scattered along the oakwood flooring. One of her Yankee candles was still lit from yesterday, making the room smell like sweet granny smith apples and sage.

Home sweet home, right?

_I don’t even know who you are. I want my girlfriend back._

Steve’s words cut through her heart like butter, embedding deep into her mind until she felt the disappointment and regret seep into her soul. It was enough to send her into a spiral of tears as she inhaled his scent on his pillow.

She understood now why relationships with co-workers were banned.

Phoebe felt her phone buzzing under her butt. It was Tony via Skype.

She pushed her hair to the side to cover up the dust and gash wound on her cheek and tapped on the screen. “Hey, Ton,” she said, giving him a soft smile.

He was wearing a silky white unbuttoned shirt at the beach. Cyan blue water swished along the shoreline in the background. Phoebe could point out Pepper’s legs from behind him. “Just wanted to check in, make sure everything between you and Spangles is hunky-dory.”

Tony knew they had been fighting but he had no clue what they were fighting about. He’s been a real gem to Phoebe, allowing her to call him at ungodly hours of the day and night. But it looked like he and Pepper were enjoying themselves somewhere tropical and remote, and she didn’t want to ruin their vacation.

“Everything’s fine,” Phoebe assured him. “So, you finally went to Jamaica?”

“Finally!” Pepper squealed with excitement in the background. Tony positioned the phone so that they were both in view. Pepper was sipping on a fruity drink with a tiny pink umbrella sticking out. She looked amazing sporting her new sun-kissed golden skin and blue bikini.

“Looking good, Peps,” Phoebe said, winking at her playfully. “I’m glad you guys are having fun. Don’t worry about me, Tony. Everything is great.”

“You’re sure?” Tony asked, lifting his sunglasses with a quirked brow.

“Positive.”

Tony frowned, but pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. “Just remember that it’ll pass. You guys are solid. Tell Cap I said hi,” he said before cutting out the video feed.

Phoebe set the phone on the wireless charging dock next to her side of the bed and fell back with a long sigh. Lying to her best friend, her boyfriend, herself. That’s all she seemed to be doing these days.

But it was for the greater good… wasn’t it?

***

The sun set when she heard footsteps approaching from the hallway outside. She immediately recognized them as Steve’s. She sat up in bed as the footsteps came closer toward the bedroom. Their eyes met at the doorway.

“Hi,” Steve said almost breathlessly, setting his keys on the dresser. There was a sting of silence between them. Phoebe had so many things she wanted to tell him – to ask him – but she folded her arms and let him have the floor first. “How are you feeling?”

“Fast healer,” Phoebe said. Her cheek was still sore, but now the wound looked more like a cat scratch then the result of an explosion.

Steve bit on his lower lip at that. “Right.” He stared at the floor, thumb fumbling around each other nervously. “Can we talk?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?” Phoebe’s heart thrummed wildly against her chest as he inched closer to the bed. Specifically, her side. He was dressed in civilian clothing; dark washed jeans and a navy-blue jacket.

“You should have told me about the mission,” Steve said in an amazing calm voice. It was almost eerie. “But I could have handled it better.”

“Yeah, you could have,” Phoebe agreed, hugging her folded arms tightly. She hadn’t noticed the action caused the swell of her breast to creep above her tank top until Steve’s eyes wondered to her chest. His footsteps stopped when he crawled onto the bed, his body heat radiating against her as he hovered above her, keeping on hand position next to her shoulder.

“It’s not worth it,” Steve whispered, inching closer to her jaw. “The fighting, the arguing, none of it is worth losing you… losing us.” A gentle peck grazed the crevice under her jaw. “I don’t want to lose this.”

It was hard to think, talk, or make any other sound aside from a quiet moan that escaped her lips. Phoebe sighed against his skin, nimble fingers moving to his jacket and pushing the material off of his body. Steve helped her shrug it off and when their eyes met, Phoebe gasped slightly. His eyes were blown with desire, burning with lust and want. It created a furnace in her belly and set her skin on fire. Her senses went into overdrive and she crashed her lips to his in a searing kiss. Steve braced himself on either side of Phoebe as they kissed, tongues clashing against each other in a fight of fervor.

Steve’s lips moved from her mouth to her jaw before they settled on her neck. Phoebe moaned as blunt teeth tugged at her flesh, seizing it between his lips. Phoebe clawed at the hem of Steve’s shirt. She discarded it with ease and explored his muscles with her nails, stopping at his belt.

“Oh god,” Steve groaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his eye briefly. “Love it when you do that,” he said, his voice thickened by lust as he stood up long enough to discard his pants. He slowly crawled his way back to Phoebe, a large hand dipping between her legs and groping her inner thigh. He stopped just above her sex.

“Please,” she begged, thrusting her hips against his hand. “Touch me.”

“Like it when I touch you, don’t you?” Steve quipped in a dark, raspy growl. He yanked her shorts off and ripped her underwear in half. He was all too willing to use his strength in bed with her. A quick finger swiped between her folds and sent a heat between her legs. She trapped his hand between her.

“Yes,” she pleaded, reaching blindly for the sheets. “Please, Steve…”

Steve gave her a wicked grin and swiped another finger between her folds. “You’re so wet, doll,” he gasped, his Brooklyn accent sending her into another fit of pleasure. He eased two fingers inside her and used his thumb to caress her clit.

Phoebe withered under him, lifting her hips as he fucked her with his fingers. He added a third finger, stretching her. She pulled Steve closer, reaching her mouth to catch one Steve’s nipples between her lips. She did the same to the other nipple, making Steve moan loudly and pick up the pace of his fingers inside of her. With her free hands, Phoebe tossed her shirt to the side and Steve’s free hand found its way to her breast, squeezing gently. It was a stark contrast between his fingers thrusting inside of her and the gentle touch to her breast. Phoebe let out a squeal, and Steve captured her lips in a passionate kiss as he alternated his hand between each breast, flicking her nipples with his thumb and scissoring his fingers inside of her.

Phoebe was amazed in how well Steve progressed in this department. He picked up on little cues, like the way she bit her lip and cursed when she was close, or the subtle tugging of his hair while he was going down on her to let him know she enjoyed it. She was surprised he liked doing those things with her, considering the old-fashioned ways of his time. But Steve loved making her come. And he did it so well.

“Fuck,” she hissed as the fire in her belly began to build. She was so close. “You’re gonna make me come.”

“That’s the idea,” Steve chuckled darkly beneath her, and he inched his head down until he was nuzzled between her legs once again. A few exploratory licks had Phoebe coming undone beneath him and she wiggled her hips against his lips. He had to use his hand to hold her pelvis down at the belly button while he sucked her clit in his mouth. “I love you,” he said, taking the time to look deep into her wild, emerald eyes that were black with desire. There was so much warmth and love swirling around the hint of blue in his eyes it made her stomach sink to the floor. “More than anything.”

Phoebe tossed her head back against the pillow and moaned, arching her back. “Oh, oh god,” she moaned against the sheets of their bed, gripping anything she could get her hands on as he thrust his fingers inside of her again. “Love you,” she hummed in between moans. “Love you so much. I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are baby. So am I,” Steve said before he pushed his tongue against her clit and licked wildly. “Now come for me.”

Phoebe shrieked as she came, the backs of her eyes bursting with bright white spots. Steve continued to fuck her through her orgasm until her legs went limp. He retracted his fingers and sucked on her juices, relishing in the taste by the looks of it. Phoebe grabbed his shoulders and pulled him, flipping so that he was pressed against the mattress.

“So, should I even ask what spurred this?” Phoebe asked once she was situated over his cock.

Steve sighed heavily, hands running through his hair as she slowly sank down onto him. “After my meeting with Fury-” a moan tore from his lips as she started to move, “-I realized that some things I can’t be mad at. He gave you instructions and you followed them-” another moan, “-so how can I mad at you for doing your job?”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that,” Phoebe said, leaning forward to kiss him while placing both hands on his chest to ground her hips.

Beneath her, Steve stilled his movements, forcing her out of her pleasurable haze. At first, she thought he was doing it on purpose to tease her, but then she, too, heard the tiny floorboard creaks that only their enhanced ears would pick up on.

Steve was already dressed in his boxers and reaching for his shield by the time Phoebe put on her clothes. Steve peered outside their bedroom. Phoebe followed behind him closely. It was pitch black in their apartment, moonlight their only source of lighting. Phoebe sensed someone’s presence, and when they peered around the corner, a dark figure was sitting in the shadows. The figure’s presence was worrisome. They were overwhelmed with fear for their life. And the lives of others.

“Well, I guess you two are getting along again,” a disembodied voice called out.

 “Nick?” Phoebe called out. He leaned into the dim lighting, and a horrified look covered Phoebe’s face. “Oh my god.” Her stomach churned on itself. He was badly beaten, coddling his arm with one hand. He had gash wounds above his eyes. Bruises down his neck. Phoebe could sense his pain. Physical and mental.

Steve’s eyes were fixed on his wounds. “What happened?” he asked, setting his shield to the side.

“Had a fight with a staircase. The staircase won,” Fury said calmly. He showed them his phone. **Freeze the room and unfreeze only us.**

Phoebe blinked. She still couldn’t fully control _freezing_ molecules in the air, but the look on Fury’s face told her that this was a dire situation. She held out her hands and flicked her fingers until purple energy dispersed in the air. Steve and Fury were frozen in time. A gentle shove stirred both of them out of the stupor, leaving the room’s molecules at a standstill.

Fury gave a cautious glance at Phoebe, who nodded. “Can’t be too careful with those staircases.”

“I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but when it does, you’ll see purple swirls,” Phoebe said. She walked up to his side. “Let me.” Fury gave her a wary glare but nodded and held out his arm. Phoebe gripped his arm rather tight and activated her powers again, reaching beneath the tissues of his skin and pulling the bone that poked through his flesh back into place. Purple swirled pulled at the skin and he bit his lip to withhold a moan of pain as the molecules healed themselves.

Once Fury was healed, he thanked her and wanted to move on. The _Lemurian Star_ USB drive fumbled around his other bruised, battered hand. “I talked to Pierce about delaying _Project Insight._ As you can guess, Captain, that didn’t go over too well.”

This wasn’t the first time Phoebe was kept out of the dark about new projects. Fury never told her about Phase Two of the Avenger’s Initiative, so it would make sense he wouldn’t place all of his cards on one table. Nobody knows all of SHIELD’s secrets, something Fury constantly reminded her of.

Still, Phoebe’s curiosity sparked when Alexander Pierce’s name popped up. “This project of yours… was it launched from the _Lemurian Star_?”

Fury gave a jagged glare towards Steve, who shook his head. “I see Captain Rogers has yet to update you, so let me make this clear, Agent. Something – I’m not sure what – isn’t sitting right with this whole damn operation. As of this moment, SHIELD is compromised. Which was made pretty damn clear when I was almost incinerated by a grenade launcher.” He paused and attempted to stand only to be forced against the wall due to an unstable leg injury. He looked weak. Really weak.

Phoebe felt her pulse rise as she looked at Steve. This was slowly becoming more and more complicated by the second, and neither she nor Steve felt prepared for something as big as SHIELD being compromised as a whole.

“And Pierce?” Steve asked, eyebrows raised.

A long, hard sigh escaped Fury’s lips. “Not sure. But he didn’t seem too thrilled about wanting to put a hold on _Project Insight_. Something is telling me not to trust him.”

“We need to find out what’s on that drive and if it really is Hydra,” Steve said to Fury.

“We may not be able to tell for sure it’s them until we…”

Phoebe’s focus on the conversation changed when she felt a cold chill run down her spine. The air felt quiet. Eerie. Then a purple glow filtered their apartment just as she said it would. She watched the purple residue vanish through an open window in the living room, then disappear the moment it reached the outside air molecules. A smile tugged at her lips. Magic and science combined together to create something truly- Phoebe’s eyes settled on something in the distance.

Steve’s shield was already in front of her just as she felt something ricochet against it at lightning speed. Fury fell to the floor holding his chest. Phoebe felt strong arms yank her backward. Steve was looking at Phoebe’s body for marks, his breath coming in hard, fast pants. She shook her head and he whirled around the room, eyes darting towards the window.

“He’s lost a lot of blood,” Phoebe said as she searched for the gunshot wound. She found it and stuck her finger in the bullet hole.

“Can you heal him?” Steve asked quickly, gripping his shield at superhuman strength.

Phoebe shook her head. “The bullet’s lodged inside. I can’t do anything until the bullet’s out.” She used her free hand and set her phone next to her. “Jarvis, Fury is down. We need medical _now_.”

“Sending medical personnel to your location now,” Jarvis said. Phoebe was internally thanking Tony for linking Jarvis to both of their SHIELD phones.  “ETA ten minutes.”

“Tell him I’m in pursuit,” Steve said.

“Rogers,” Fury spit out. Steve turned to looked at the wounded director. “No matter what… you have to trust Phoebe. Promise me.”

Steve stared at Phoebe. “With my life,” he said, giving him a quick nod before he took a deep breath and jumped out of their living room window.

“Ph-” Fury tried to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Blood spurt out of his mouth.

“Shh, sir. Don’t try to talk. I have my finger in your lung right now.”

Fury held out a shaky hand and tucked the USB drive in her tank top’s breast pocket. “I need you,” he muttered hoarsely.

“I’m right here, sir,” Phoebe assured him with a warm smile. Anxiety pounded against her bones, shaking every nerve fiber in her system. Being shot at was something Phoebe had been used to, but now Fury’s life was on the line. The man who gave her a reason to live after her father died. Phoebe only now realized that she had his blood all over her neck, clothes, and hands.

“It’s time.”

Phoebe’s heart jumped. “No,” she murmured, shaking her head wildly. Tears poured from her eyes, spilling onto Fury’s jacket. “You’re not going anywhere, sir.”

Fury let out a short, painful breath. A coughing fit racked his body, causing a spurt of blood to seep from Phoebe’s finger. “No. It’s time… for phase two… of your assignment.”

_Oh. That._

“Sir, are you absolutely sir you want me to do this?” Phoebe asked. Worry struck her nerves, shaking her down until she felt like she couldn’t move. She never thought phase two would even go into effect. “It’s risky.”

“Are you sure… you can do it?”

Phoebe wasn’t sure, to be honest. Phase two was the riskiest assignment in the history of SHIELD assignments. No one had ever tried it, and she had additional risks involving her cover. She could barely think with her heart beating wildly against her chest wall and pushing her body beyond its limit, but she nodded anyway. “If I don’t, SHIELD goes down forever. I can’t let that happen.”

Fury had just enough strength to pull a small black box from his pocket, placing it in her free hand. “Good luck, Agent,” he managed to say before passing out from blood loss.

Phoebe glanced at the black that contained her secret weapon.


	5. Victim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait. I went on vacation and this story has been a BITCH to write. But I'm finishing it!

**_Steve_ **

Fury never made it off the operating table.

Natasha cried. For the first time that Steve could remember, he saw every emotion that had built inside of her, exposed like a raw nerve ending. Natasha Romanoff kept her composure, even during the most chaotic and hostile situations. Steve could rely on her to be the brawn when he needed to be the brain, and especially when he needed to be the heart of a mission. But today, she cried. She mourned for a friend, a colleague, a father figure... a loved one.

And Natasha did not love easily.

On the edge of their queen-sized bed, Steve sat with his hands wrapped in a tight ball resting against his chin. Words could not explain the anger and frustration that flowed through his body. Fury was gone. Watching Natasha’s emotion’s falter as she gazed over Fury’s corpse spurred his motivation. He was more determined than ever to find out who was Hydra’s leader within SHIELD and what _Project Insight_ had to do with them, so he could stop them. When Pierce requested a meeting with Steve, he was dressed in his stealth suit and ready to go before the night turned into day.

He felt a warm hand clutch at his shoulder, kneading the flesh under his suit. He looked behind him and found Phoebe sitting in a towel, trickles of water dripping over her neck and collarbone, gazing forward, her eyes red and puffy eyes. Eyes that belonged to a woman in mourning of a man who gave her and her father refuge from Hydra… or so they thought.

“He couldn’t have known,” Phoebe said softly. She must have read his thoughts. Either that, or Steve was becoming extremely transparent in his age. “Neither Tony nor Fury could have known that.”

“You should go to the beach,” Steve said, reaching a hand to clasp around the one at his shoulder. _You should go to our safe house_. “You could use the vacation.”

“So could you,” Phoebe shot back with the tiniest of sighs. “But we’ve all got jobs to do.”

Meaning, she was going back to STRIKE despite him telling her what Fury had told him in his office. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She moved to cup his chin, slowly pulling his face over his shoulder. Their lips met in a soft, slow kiss that stole Steve’s breath away and left him yearning for more. He kissed her back, slipping his tongue along her plush, pink lower lip before pulling away and resting his head against her forehead.

“You’re very stubborn. You know that?”

Phoebe pulled away and stood up, smiling proudly. “It’s a character flaw, yes, but a necessary one.”

A chuckled rumbled through Steve’s chest and vibrated against Phoebe. “What am I going to do with you?”

Phoebe turned and shrugged. “Love me. Support me.” There was a string of silence that fumbled through the air, and her eyes shifted between him and the floorboards. Her facial expression softened. “Trust me.”

 _Trust Phoebe,_ Fury had said.

Now Phoebe was telling him to trust her, too.

Steve frowned. “I trust you,” he said, standing in front of her with soft, pliable eyes. “But if there’s something you’re not telling me… do you trust yourself to deal with the consequences?”

Phoebe had tears in her eyes. That was _not_ the route Steve was trying to go. He hated seeing her cry. She grabbed a change of clothes and dropped the towel right in front of him. A beautiful sight she was, but also vulnerable. Steve came up behind her and wrapped steady arms around her bare waist.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and pressed a tender kiss to her pulse point.

“There’s so much you still don’t know about me,” Phoebe said, and she leaned back, pressing her body weight against him and dipping her face into his neck. “So much I haven’t told you.”

“Then tell me, sweetheart,” Steve urged cautiously. He didn’t want to be pushy, but he couldn’t help her if he didn’t know what was bothering her so much that it forced her to distance herself from him. Mission be damned. “No matter what it is, we’ll deal with it.”

“I can’t just ‘deal with it’,” Phoebe said. The sharpness of her voice reverbed against Steve’s body as she yanked away from his grip. After putting on her clothes she looked at him, blinking away the teardrops that welled under her eyelashes. “When I was captured, Hydra did everything in their power to get me to join them. Tortured me for days without food, clothes, sleep deprivation, whatever they could to make me change my mind. The day I escaped, I was so sleep deprived that I would’ve said anything to get them to stop playing the goddamn Barbie song in my cell. I…” Steve knew what she was going to say before she said it. He lunged forward and encased her body in his.

Steve clasped a hand over the crown of her caramel blonde locks and patted her gently. “You didn’t know what you were doing. You were starving, cold, and sleep deprived. Look at me.” Phoebe tore her eyes from his suit and looked at him. “You did what you had to. You survived.”

“Did I?” Phoebe asked, deadpan. “I must have said yes in my sleep because the music stopped. Then they gave me the power boost and I escaped.”

“You did,” Steve tried his best to convey as much assurance as his eyes would let him. “I promise, Phoebe, I will do everything in my power to help you through this. Whatever you need.”

“If Hydra is really within SHIELD, they’re still after me, Steve. It’s only a matter of time.”

Steve wouldn’t say aloud, but she was right.

 ***  


The elevator doors dinged, and Steve scuffed his boots on the marble white flooring as he exited. He trailed down the hallway until he came across Natasha’s office space. Through her glass windows, it looked like Phoebe and Natasha were in a heated discussion, but with soundproof walls it was hard to tell what it was about. If Steve had to guess, it might have been about Fury’s death, which was officially ruled a homicide earlier this morning.

Sitting himself across from Alexander Pierce after introducing himself, Steve noted that Pierce was not shy about getting right to the point. “Captain, why was Nick in your apartment last night?” he asked.

 _Because Hydra is somewhere within SHIELD, and he thinks you may be in on it,_ Steve wanted to say. But instead he opted for, “I don’t know”.

Pierce seemed displeased by his answer. Like he was expecting more from him. Maybe he was, but Steve wanted to tread lightly. “Did you know that it was bugged?”

“Only because Fury told us.”

Pierce pulled up an image then, and Steve was shocked to find that Batroc was strapped to a chair by metal clasps being interrogated by SHIELD agents. “Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the _Lemurian Star_ and he was contacted by email and paid by wire transfers. The money was run through 17 fictitious accounts. The last one to a holding company that was registered to a Jacob Veech.” A dossier was placed in Steve’s hand, providing the information that Pierce already explained. “Now, Jacob Veech has been dead for 6 years. His last address was 1435 Elmhurst Drive. When I first met Nick, his mother lived at 1437.”

Steve knew where Pierce was going with this, and he didn’t like it. “Are you suggesting that Nick hired the pirates?”

“The prevailing theory is that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. The deal must have gone south and that’s why Fury was killed.”

Steve felt the anger boiling in his veins as he tried to keep it compartmentalized. Not only was Pierce lying his ass off, but he was purposely throwing his friend that he spent the first five minutes of their meeting raving about right under the bus and pissing on his grave. No soldier or agent with any common decency would disrespect a fellow comrade the way Pierce was disrespecting Fury.

He felt obligated to say something. “If you truly knew Nick, you know that’s not true,” Steve said, clenching his jaw to avoid saying something he knew he’d regret later.

Pierce drew his lips into a thin line. His eyes remaining glued to Steve with a glint in his iris that seemed slightly arrogant in nature. “Why do you think we’re meeting. I need to know why he was in your apartment so that we can find the bastard that set him up before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?” Steve countered calmly but also determined to get an answer out of Pierce.

The question flustered Pierce for a moment, but he quickly recovered and folded his hands over his knee, drawing it over his left leg. “I’m going to ask again, Captain. Why was he there?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Steve started, “but he told me not to trust anyone… except for Phoebe.”

Steve gauged Pierce’s reaction, but his face was unreadable, and that made him uncomfortable. “She’s tried my patience over the years, but all in all, we’re lucky to have her.”

“As am I,” Steve replied with a short nod.

“Keep her close. It’d be a shame if something happened to her.”

It was subtle at first, but the change in Pierce’s tone shifted just enough to set off the alarm in his brain. Nothing about their conversation gave Steve any indication that Pierce was truly lucky to have his girl as part of his team. Especially not the coy smile Pierce gave him.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help. If you’ll excuse me,” Steve said. Placing his shield back in its holster, he turned to exit the office.

“Captain,” Pierce called out. There was something eerie in the way that he looked at Steve. His eyes were dark and cold. Damn near frostbitten. “Someone murdered my friend and I’m gonna find him. And anyone who gets in my way is going to regret it. Anyone.”

 _Him,_ Steve muttered to himself before the lightbulb clicked.

“Understood,” Steve said, giving him a respectful nod before leaving the office.

Indistinct chatter filled the floor’s lobby, echoes bouncing around his eardrums as he strode down the hallway. People greeted him, giving occasional nods and flirtatious grins. Steve was used to it by now, so it was easy to ignore. He kept his eyes forward and legs in motion until he found Phoebe walking down the hall. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside an empty office space, commanding the AI system to secure the room and put up a transparency vail on the windows.

“You look flustered,” Phoebe said, reaching to touch his cheek. Concern filled her eyes, but Steve didn’t have time to explain his feelings. He touched her hand, tugging it away from his face and putting back down to her side.

“Pierce knows who killed Fury,” Steve said, exhaling sharply. His grip on her hand strengthened. It wouldn’t hurt her, but it was tighter than normal. “He said _him_. He knows.”

“So do I,” Phoebe said.

Steve frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

Phoebe opened her mouth to speak but her pager went off, interrupting them. She glanced at the device. She met Steve’s gaze, focusing on the glistening green specs floating through his iris. “We just got extremely lucky. Rumlow wants me to meet Rollins in Forensics. This guy rarely leaves behind evidence. Always soviet slugs. Metal arm. Dead in the eyes. He’s Hydra,” she said with a heavy sigh. “Natasha can tell you more, but I’ve met him. When I was captured. He warned me about Hydra inside SHIELD but I didn’t realize it until after all of this happened. We’re in for a fight.” She paused, staring down at the floor for a long moment before she looked back at him with a sorrowful gaze. “He was just as much as a victim as I was, Steve. They put him in this cryogenic chamber to keep him compliant. His screams still haunt me.”

“He killed Fury. Tried to kill us. And you’re defending him?”

“No!” Phoebe hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. “I’m just saying that if we go after him, we should try to help get him away from Hydra while we figured out what else Hydra has planned with _Project Insight_.”

“And what happens when you get captured and tortured again?” Steve countered, his voice low and Captain America-like.

“Won’t happen. You just have to trust me, okay?”

“Fury wanted you out,” Steve reminded her.

“I know he said that to you, but I’m telling you that it was a smokescreen. I know Fury. He would want me to finish my assignment,” Phoebe countered calmly. A warm hand touched his cheek and he instinctively leaned into it, closing his eyes. “Trust me, baby. I need you to say it.”

Steve knew that changing Phoebe’s mind was next to impossible but keeping her safe and away from danger would always be a priority to Steve. She could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be, much like she is now, and that was something they had in common. Something that could put a wedge between them or strengthen them if they let it.

“I trust you,” he said, giving Phoebe a kiss on the lips and holding her hand in place. “And I love you.”

***

He scuffled his boots across the lobby as quickly as he could, stopping just in front of the elevator. He waited for the doors to open and asked for operations control. Rumlow managed to jump inside a few seconds later just as the doors were ready to squash his arm.

“Forensics,” Rumlow told the elevator’s AI.

“Confirmed.”

“Meeting Phoebe and Rollins?” Steve asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah. Except Phoebe isn’t here,” Rumlow said, sounding genuinely curious.

“Phoebe hates elevators. They remind her of the Tower of Terror,” Steve replied.

Another moment of silence passed before Rumlow spoke again. “I’m really sorry with what happened to Fury. It’s messed up,” Rumlow said to Cap. “Phoebe’s taking it pretty hard, isn’t she?”

“She told me to go to hell when I tried to comfort her in the hospital. I’m not exactly earning any brownie points lately.”

Rumlow snorted. “I’ve noticed. Do you believe he did it? Hired the pirates?”

Steve shrugged. “Pierce doesn’t believe it, so I guess I have to trust his gut. But I like to follow through with my own investigating.”

“Speaking of which, forensics found a hair fiber on the rooftop. Want me to get the tact team ready?”

“No, let’s wait and see what it is first.”

That could be something worth checking out. But not if STRIKE is the one doing the checking. It was hard to believe that the man currently standing next to him was Hydra. The man who had saved his life countless times on missions was a traitor to SHIELD and to his country. It was a hard pill to swallow, one that Steve never thought he would have to face again after Schmidt. Having a conversation with him felt like pulling teeth. Uncomfortable.

Each floor they visited brought two to three people on board. It was starting to get too crowded for Steve’s tastes, so he shifted towards the middle of the elevator. Many were minding their own business, talking on their cell phones or among themselves. Those with STRIKE stood perfectly still like little tin soldiers waiting for instructions.

That’s when he noticed the beads of sweat dripping from one man’s scalp. It wasn’t hot in the building, or in the elevator, and the temperature outside had only just begun to rise above 55 degrees. The man was clearly anxious about something. A STRIKE member moved in front of Steve’s vision then. Jack Rollins.

Who was supposed to be in Forensics waiting on Phoebe.

Slowly, but surely, Steve noticed that the men in the elevator were huddled around him in specific positions.

“Before we get started… does anyone want to get out?” Steve asked the room.

No one moved at that. He managed to click his pager just as the first swing came in contact with his jaw.


End file.
